Beulaville town meeting/debris cleanup – updated
Updated information in red.
by Trevor Normile
Storm Debris
Bids considered by the town include two lump sum agreements and another in which the town would pay $140 per ton of debris hauled.
Today is the last day for folks to put out yard debris.
Tons of Trash gave the town the best deal, and will postpone normal pickup, which would’ve been first the Wednesday of September. They are collecting everything in the town as one contract. The bid was clarified as paying cubic yard, in line with how FEMA wanted the amounts turned in. At the end of the month, the town with conduct regular pickup.
According to Town Manager Scotty Summerlin, everything that was generated was likely storm debris.
One of the main concerns was whether the Federal Emergency Management Agency would reimburse North Carolina for money used to clean up the mess. In a Wednesday meeting with Duplin towns and workers from FEMA, it was implied that towns like Beulaville may not have to pick up the tab.
“We will be eligible, assuming Congress appropriates the funds. They seemed confident that would happen,” said Beulaville Mayor Kenneth Smith. “The county has qualified, and is the county qualifies, Beulaville qualifies.”
He said the town had to turn in estimates for debris cleanup and damages not covered by insurance.
“At this point in time it’s too early to say [cleanup will cost]. It will probably be in excess of $30,000,” the mayor said, referring to costs to be incurred by the town, rather than private damages.
Money from the government will be eligible for debris removal, overtime for municipal workers, equipment use, but not for individual families that might have had damage to their property.
Once reimbursement is approved, FEMA will reimburse 75 percent of the costs, while the state of North Carolina would cover the other 25 percent. Soon, the organization will send workers down to assess the damages to the tow, such as equipment in the treatment plant that was submerged.
Summerlin released directions for citizens last week regarding pick up. Again, today is the deadline for getting debris out to the right of way.
Summerlin’s release:
“The Town of Beulaville has provided the following requirements in order to expedite the collection of vegetative debris generated by Hurricane Irene. The following guidelines will insure that collection is completed swiftly and efficiently. When bringing debris to the road shoulder leaves, limbs, and trees should be placed in separate piles. Limbs, trees and trunks must be no larger than five feet in length. No debris upon private property will be collected. All debris must be placed at the road shoulder prior to Wednesday, September 14.”
Other news:
The Department of Transportation will refrain from paving S NC-14 through Beulaville until a six-inch asbestos-insulated line is moved by the town. Estimated cost could be as much as $300,000. The lines were installed before PVC piping was introduced.
An overflow occurred at the waste water treatment plant of 126,000 gallons Water got into the generator, but it is still working, although administrators mentioned it could fail in the future. Some motors and ventilation fans have been heavily damaged.
“All that stuff’s going to have to be moved to higher ground. we took in a lot of water, the fastest we’ve seen in years,” Summerlin said.
The USDA proposal for the Grant Street project was approved. Work should begin shortly, construction is estimated to be complete in January 2013.
Contact me at 910.285.2178 or at tjnormile@readcapefear.com.
The Town of Beulaville can be contacted at 910.298.4647.
